Happy Earth Day!

Hooray, hooray! Today is Earth Day! Did you know that Earth Day started with a modern environmental movement in 1970 and became a global effort by 1990?!  

One of the simplest ways to start acting now is from the convenience of your own phone. Here are a few apps that can help make our planet a better place.  

JouleBug 

JouleBug helps make habits sustainable. Whether at home, work, or enjoying your community, discover new ways to use resources without using them up. By organizing tips into actions that you “Buzz” in the app when you do them in real life, sustainability has bever been easier. JouleBug offers tips, videos, and links to help you learn more, and you can share and follow along with your friends and family. Who doesn’t love a little friendly competition all while making the earth a happier and cleaner place? 

Litterati 

Litterati is more than picking up litter! When you see garbage on the ground, take a photo of it through the app, and Litterati will geo-tag the photo so that the litter is captured accurately. The app then assesses the litter so that it is accurately categorized. Data collected is used around the world to help encourage governments, corporations, and organizations become more eco-friendly. Tattletale that trash! 

Dropcountr 

Have you ever wondered how much water you consume? With Dropcountr, you can connect water utilities to your mobile device and track your water use. The app helps you better understand and manage your water usage, compare your use to neighbours, set and reach water use goals, and access valuable rebates and utility announcements. The app states that on average, users can save about 9% in monthly water use! Who doesn’t love saving water and money? 

While it isn’t an app, we couldn’t celebrate Earth Day without mentioning our own initiatives! 

At Digital Link, we not only love this precious planet — we are also doing our part in helping to protect it. Our Power Up the Planet (PUP) initiative is something that we hold near and dear to our hearts. 

PUP is a two-pronged initiative. Our recycling program reduces e-waste and its negative impact on the environment, while our reuse and refurbishing efforts give select electronic equipment a new lease on life.                                                       

E-waste refers to electronic products that have reached or are nearing the end of their useful life. Even though many of these goods can be reused, refurbished, or recycled, e-waste still represents a serious threat to our environment. According to CBC, “The Global E-waste Monitor 2020 report found the world dumped a record 53.6 million tonnes of e-waste last year — equivalent to the weight of 350 cruise ships the size of the Queen Mary 2, or enough to form a line 125 kilometres long. That’s an increase of 21 per cent in five years, the report said.” 

Digital Link is committed to doing our part and help lower this number. 

We can take away most electronics, including: 

• mice 
• phones 
• printers 
• scanners 
• monitors 
• keyboards 
• mobile devices 
• computer towers 
• empty ink and toner cartridges 

Happy Earth Day, digital friends. Let’s all take some time today to take care of our wonderous planet!